Metered Dispensing System

ABSTRACT

An improved flow rate metering device that provides for the mixing and dispensing of two or more fluids to form final mixture, for example, for automatic washing of cars and trucks. More specifically, the invention is a system that mixes and ejects chemicals, creating a very precise mixture of one or more chemicals with a dilutant, such as water. The device also has the capability of monitoring an entire chemical dilution and release system, comprising multiple chemicals, and using software to document past and current usage rates, along with predicting future usage rates based upon both past usage rates and environmental conditions.

CROSS REFERENCE TO RELATED APPLICATIONS

This application claims priority back to U.S. Provisional ApplicationNos. 62/939,292, filed Nov. 22, 2019, and 62/942,813, filed Dec. 16,2019, the contents of which are incorporated by reference into thisapplication.

STATEMENT REGARDING FEDERALLY SPONSORED RESEARCH OR DEVELOPMENT

This invention was not federally sponsored.

BACKGROUND OF THE INVENTION Field of the Invention

This invention relates generally to the field of pump systems for mixingand metering viscous fluids. In particular, the present disclosurerelates to an improved flow rate metering device that provides for themixing and dispensing of two or more fluids to form final mixture, forexample, for automatic washing of cars and trucks. More specifically,the invention is a system that mixes and ejects chemicals, creating avery precise mixture of one or more chemicals with a dilutant, such aswater. The device also has the capability of monitoring an entirechemical dilution and release system, comprising multiple chemicals, andusing software to document past and current usage rates, along withpredicting future usage rates based upon both past usage rates andenvironmental conditions.

One preferred embodiment of the invention is a system that mixesconcentrated chemicals into precise, desired diluted fluids and usesthese fluids in a car wash. While the technologies behind this inventionare expressly not limited to car washes, and indeed are equallyapplicable to a variety of other fields ranging from beverages such assoda and beer to laundry detergent and any other liquid, the car wash isused as an example because the function—or rather, the currentinefficient function—of a car wash is easily understood. Indeed, thetechnology contained in this patent application can be used for food andbeverage industries, for application of cleaning chemical dispensing,control, and monitoring.

the system relies on both a cloud and on-site storage of data compiledfrom a customer's car wash. This storage system provides a back-up ofdata in case there is a malfunction at either the cloud or on-sitesystem. This data is then provided to the customer in a UI format.Because the entire process is computer-controlled, it allows for acompletely automatic car wash delivery system.

Truck and car wash apparatus are generally well known in the art. Agreat variety of configurations have been and are being employed in thefield. These vary from largely manually-operated devices to nearlycompletely automated machines. Whether the washing fluids are applied toa vehicle by an automated gantry, or the like, or by a hand-held wand,there must be some method or means for mixing fluids, such as chemicalsor soaps, with the water. Such method or means should be accurate,economical and reliable.

There are several methods in use, all of which have some problem oranother. One method which has been used is to mix one or more chemicalsbefore being applied to a vehicle that is to be washed. Prior to beingapplied to the vehicle, each chemical is diluted using water. Dilutionmay occur in a solution tank, from which a point-of-use dispenser pullsthe chemical(s)-water combination for application to a vehicle.Alternatively, dilution may also occur as the chemical(s) and water arebeing dispensed at substantially the same time by a point-of-usedispenser to a vehicle. In either case, the actual solution applied toeach vehicle includes a concentration of one or more chemicals andwater. A responsibility typically reserved for a vehicle wash operatorrelates to defining the type and amount of appropriate chemicals, andthus, concentrations thereof, that are to be applied by a vehicle washfacility to the various vehicles utilizing the facility.

Currently, vehicle wash operators will use an assortment of measuringbeakers and scales along with chemical viscosity calculations todetermine flow rate and usage. The chemicals being applied will bepoured into a beaker that sits on a high-end scale. When the chemicalflaw's and is drawn out of the beaker, the amount drawn is noted alongwith the difference in weight. There is some critical math at this pointthat must be calculated into the process based on the chemical'sviscosity and any other volume influence that affect the draw such asthe size of a feed tubing that was dropped into the beaker. If any ofthe math that has been injected into this process is not accurate, theresults are inaccurate. The manufacturers of the products typicallyprovide this math for their chemicals, unfortunately, it is not alwaysaccurate. This then opens the door for a sizable percentage of error inthe final calculations, as any errors can be magnified significantlyfurther down the line of the operation. More or less, the vehicle washoperators have tolerated this issue due to being “close enough” is goodenough.

Most modern car washes, since they have little idea of the exact amountof chemicals being used, have very little guidance on when to order newdrums of chemicals. The general method is to open the drum and put astick down the opening, to look down the opening and estimate, or byusing a sonar measuring device. But, while these methods can give a goodestimate of how much of a particular chemical is left, because the ownerhas little idea of how much is being used, he/she cannot realisticallyplace orders for new drums of a particular chemical with much certaintythat such an order is timely.

One method car wash owners used to make sure they have adequate suppliesis to buy smaller drums of a particular chemical and pour it into alarger container. This method raises the chances of contamination, andalso requires a car wash owner to have both 55-gallon drums, and extradrums of some of the more often-used chemicals. This makes theoperational footprint even worse than if the owner just replaced anempty 55-gallon drum with a full one.

Therefore, there is a need in the art to move into an electronic spacefor metering the amount of chemicals applied on a vehicle during awashing cycle which eliminates the need for any scales, beakers or mathfrom the vehicle wash operators. The system would also allow for preciseratios of chemicals and dilutants, and allow a computer system toconstantly monitor the system such that these ratios can be changed ifdesired. The system would have a small physical and environmentalfootprint, and be safe for workers.

The current invention provides just such a solution by having a chemicaldelivery system that combines a variety of sensors and bullet valveswith various pumps and pressure regulators in a computer-controlledenvironment such that precise ratios of a chemical to a dilutant such aswater can be achieved, monitored, and easily changed if thecircumstances so require. A preferred embodiment is a car wash systemwith a small rack of concentrate chemicals are mixed in precise ratiosas they are sprayed onto the cars. This system allows for the precisemeasurement of chemicals used, which allows for the prediction of whenfuture boxes of the chemicals should be purchased, along with anaccurate estimate of how much car washes of which type had beenadministered in the past.

Objects of the Invention

It is therefore an object of the present invention to provide a systemcapable of being connected to a public water supply via a hose thatprovides a self-regulatory system of chemical deliver.

A general object of the present disclosure is to move into an electronicspace for metering the amount of chemicals applied on a vehicle during awashing cycle which eliminates the need for any scales, beakers or mathfrom the vehicle wash operators.

An object of the present disclosure is to provide a method or apparatuswhereby chemicals could readily be mixed with water in a vehicle washsystem which would not waste chemicals and/or time, and which would bereliable and accurate in operation.

Another object of the present disclosure is to provide an automatedmechanism metering the amount of chemicals applied on a vehicle during awashing cycle which removes the inefficient method of physicalinspection of usage of one or more chemicals and/or products involved ina vehicle washing.

These and other objects and advantages will become more apparent whenreference is made to the following description and accompanyingdrawings.

Statement of the Invention

This summary is provided to introduce concepts related to an improvedflow rate metering device that provides for the mixing and dispensing oftwo or more fluids to form final mixture, for example, for automaticwashing of cars and trucks. The concepts are further described below inthe detailed description. This summary is not intended to identify keyfeatures or essential features of the claimed subject matter, nor is itintended to be used to limit the scope of the claimed subject matter.

The present disclosure relates to a monitoring system for measuring theholding tank level of each chemical product that is consumed by thesmart dispenser. The measuring device for this is a linear probe with abuilt-in float that sends micro data to a programmable logic controller

Various objects, features, aspects, and advantages of the inventivesubject matter will become more apparent from the following detaileddescription of preferred embodiments. It is to be understood that theaspects and embodiments of the disclosure described above may be used inany combination with each other. Several of the aspects and embodimentsmay be combined to form a further embodiment of the disclosure.

The foregoing summary is illustrative only and is not intended to be inany way limiting. In addition to the illustrative aspects, embodiments,and features described above, further aspects, embodiments, and featureswill become apparent by reference to the drawings and the followingdetailed description.

There has thus been outlined, rather broadly, the more importantfeatures of the invention in order that the detailed description thereofmay be better understood, and in order that the present contribution tothe art may be better appreciated. There are additional features of theinvention that will be described hereinafter and which will form thesubject matter of the claims appended hereto. The features listed hereinand other features, aspects and advantages of the present invention willbecome better understood with reference to the following description andappended claims. The accompanying drawings, which are incorporated inand constitute part of this specification, illustrate embodiments of theinvention and, together with the description, serve to explain theprinciples of the invention.

It should be understood that while the preferred embodiments of theinvention are described in some detail herein, the present disclosure ismade by way of example only and that variations and changes thereto arepossible without departing from the subject matter coming within thescope of the following claims, and a reasonable equivalency thereof,which claims I regard as my invention.

There has thus been outlined, rather broadly, the more importantfeatures of the invention in order that the detailed description thereofmay be better understood, and in order that the present contribution tothe art may be better appreciated. There are additional features of theinvention that will be described hereinafter and which will form thesubject matter of the claims appended hereto. The features listed hereinand other features, aspects and advantages of the present invention willbecome better understood with reference to the following description andappended claims. The accompanying drawings, which are incorporated inand constitute part of this specification, illustrate embodiments of theinvention and, together with the description, serve to explain theprinciples of the invention.

BRIEF DESCRIPTION OF THE FIGURES

FIG. 1 is a flowchart showing the assembly of the various componentsinto the final product, and how this assembly is monitored.

FIG. 2 is a flowchart showing the relationship between the variousbullet valves.

One preferred form of the invention will now be described with referenceto the accompanying drawings. The accompanying drawings, which areincorporated in and constitute a part of this disclosure, illustrateexemplary embodiments and, together with the description, serve toexplain the disclosed principles. In the figures, the left-most digit(s)of a reference number identifies the figure in which the referencenumber first appears. The same numbers are used throughout the figuresto reference like features and components. Some embodiments of systemand/or methods in accordance with embodiments of the present subjectmatter are now described, by way of example only, and with reference tothe accompanying figures, in which:

It should be appreciated by those skilled in the art that any blockdiagrams herein represent conceptual views of illustrative systemsembodying the principles of the present subject matter. Similarly, itwill be appreciated that any flow charts, flow diagrams, statetransition diagrams, pseudo code, and the like represent variousprocesses which may be substantially represented in a computer-readablemedium and executed by a computer or processor, whether or not suchcomputer or processor is explicitly shown.

DETAILED DESCRIPTION OF THE FIGURES

Many aspects of the invention can be better understood with referencesmade to the drawings below. The components in the drawings are notnecessarily drawn to scale. Instead, emphasis is placed upon clearlyillustrating the components of the present invention. Moreover, likereference numerals designate corresponding parts through the severalviews in the drawings. Before explaining at least one embodiment of theinvention, it is to be understood that the embodiments of the inventionare not limited in their application to the details of construction andto the arrangement of the components set forth in the followingdescription or illustrated in the drawings. The embodiments of theinvention are capable of being practiced and carried out in variousways. In addition, the phraseology and terminology employed herein arefor the purpose of description and should not be regarded as limiting.

The detailed description of various exemplary embodiments of thedisclosure is described herein with reference to the accompanyingdrawings. It should be noted that the embodiments are described hereinin such details as to clearly communicate the disclosure. However, theamount of details provided herein is not intended to limit theanticipated variations of embodiments; on the contrary, the intention isto cover all modifications, equivalents, and alternatives falling withinthe spirit and scope of the present disclosure as defined by theappended claims.

It is also to be understood that various arrangements may be devisedthat, although not explicitly described or shown herein, embody theprinciples of the present disclosure. Moreover, all statements hereinreciting principles, aspects, and embodiments of the present disclosure,as well as specific examples, are intended to encompass equivalentsthereof.

In the present document, the word “exemplary” is used herein to mean“serving as an example, instance, or illustration.” Any embodiment orimplementation of the present subject matter described herein as“exemplary” is not necessarily to be construed as preferred oradvantageous over other embodiments.

While the disclosure is susceptible to various modifications andalternative forms, specific embodiment thereof has been shown by way ofexample in the drawings and will be described in detail below. It shouldbe understood, however that it is not intended to limit the disclosureto the forms disclosed, but on the contrary, the disclosure is to coverall modifications, equivalents, and alternatives falling within thescope of the disclosure.

The terminology used herein is for the purpose of describing particularembodiments only and is not intended to be limiting of exampleembodiments. As used herein, the singular forms “a”,” “an” and “the” areintended to include the plural forms as well, unless the context clearlyindicates otherwise. It will be further understood that the tennis“comprises,” “comprising,” “includes” and/or “including,” when usedherein, specify the presence of stated features, integers, steps,operations, elements and/or components, but do not preclude the presenceor addition of one or more other features, integers, steps, operations,elements, components and/or groups thereof.

It should also be noted that in some alternative implementations, thefunctions/acts noted may occur out of the order noted in the figures.For example, two figures shown in succession may, in fact, be executedconcurrently or may sometimes be executed in the reverse order,depending upon the functionality/acts involved.

Unless otherwise defined, all terms (including technical and scientificterms) used herein have the same meaning as commonly understood byone ofordinary skill in the art to which example embodiments belong. It willbe further understood that terms, e.g., those defined in commonly useddictionaries, should be interpreted as having a meaning that isconsistent with their meaning in the context of the relevant art andwill not be interpreted in an idealized or overly formal sense unlessexpressly so defined herein.

FIG. 1 is a flowchart showing the assembly of the various componentsinto the final product, and how this assembly is monitored. At thecarwash, a carwash controller controls a chemical signal, the washpackage and the wash counter, which keeps track of how many of what typeof car washes have occurred that day. The carwash controller combineswith a cloud holding inventor-owned data and historical data relating tothis particular carwash to control Smart Dispenser programmable logiccontroller (PLC). The Smart Dispenser then uses this data to control thewater bullet valve, the chemical bullet valve, and the air steppervalve. The history of adjustments made to these devices are then storedin the cloud.

With respect to controlling the chemical dispensing, the Smart Dispensercauses the water bullet valve, the chemical bullet valve and the airstepper valve to affect the production of one or more products for theWater and Chemical Arch and the Air for Arch. The arch is acustomer-supplied piece of equipment, usually a metal arch that has aseries of nozzles imbedded into it. These nozzles are what sprays thechemical(s)/mixture(s) onto the car.

Smart software provides Data in the form of reports, live data, chemicalcontrols and the results

FIG. 2 is a flowchart showing the relationship between the variousbullet valves. The water pressure is stabilized by the bladder pump.Water can be obtained from city water supplies or well water. A pressuretransducer reads the water pressure after it is pushed out of thebladder pump and passes on the reading of the constant line pressure tothe programmable logic controller (PLC). The software component of theinvention recognizes any variances in pressure.

The air pressure is mainly used for “foaming” the chemical and watercomponents into a foam when it is applied to the car. The stepper motorcontrols how much PSI or air flow is needed to make the chemical more orless foaming. Chemical pump pressure can be created in two ways. First,the use of a volumetric pump with an internal piston that is airpressure driven. Second, a pressure vessel (“Smart Tank”) with aninternal piston and piston return spring that constantly keeps thechemical under pressure for the delivery system, and auto-refills itselfwith chemical through air pressure.

The chemical pressure pump is preset and maintained, in a preferredembodiment of the invention, at 30-40 psi. This pressure is created byvolumetric pressure pump that is backed by a check valve. A bulletcontrol valve that has been properly sized for functionality in thisinvention regulates release of the chemical(s).

The PLC emits output pulses to control an on/off cycle, with a preferredembodiment teaching each 500 m/s on and 0.5 m/s off. The total flow iscalculated by how many cycles the valve turned on and off during theproduct run time from the wash controller.

The air pressure to the stepper motor is controlled by the PLC, and canbe adjusted by the user. Air is dispensed directly to the arch manifold.An air pressure transducer installed on the incoming air pressure linenotifies the system if a loss in pressure occurs.

The size of the water bullet valve is determined from the archproperties, such as the number of nozzles, flow rate of each nozzle,size of arch pipes, size of delivery tubing, length of run, etc. Thenominal output GPM is 2-15@15-60 psi. Multiple water and chemicaldistribution blocks are connected for single chemical use. Differentblocks are setup in the same fashion for other applications.

Ambient temperature inside mechanical room or wash bay (where ever thedispensing unit is located) is measured. An algorithm determineschemical viscosity per degree of temperature change, and adjusts for theflow rate of the chemical through the chemical bullet valve to change astemperature changes.

The PLC controller receives one or more chemical demand signals from thecarwash controller. A system of events then initiates the water andchemical bullet valves, controlling the stepper bullet valve the air tomix with the chemical(s). The software contains a parameter setup forthe chemical bullet valve flow rate. On/off cycles build a usage reportfor that chemical used.

It should be noted that the present disclosure is not restricted to beused with a single vehicle-wash bay. Indeed, it is anticipated that thepresent disclosure will be used in conjunction with multiplevehicle-wash bays, wherein the variation of demand might be even greaterand wherein the need for and desirability of the present inventiveapparatus and method will be even greater.

The inventive system and device 100 and associated method for meteringquantity of fluid supplied through the device 100 are intended to bewidely used in the vehicle wash industry. In particular, the presentdisclosure is particularly applicable to vehicle washes, wherein a greatquantity of chemicals is used and, thus, it is extremely important tokeep the ratio of chemical to water solvent at an ideal proportion. Itshould be noted that the method and device proposed herein will workwith almost any viscosity of chemical/product/fluid, and that the methodand device can be adapted for use with a great variety ofvehicle-washing facilities.

All of the above are only some of the examples of available embodimentsof the present disclosure. Those skilled in the art will readily observethat numerous other modifications and alterations may be made withoutdeparting from the spirit and scope of the present disclosure. Forexample, the present disclosure may be used in systems other thanvehicle-washing systems, such as conveyor-type vehicle wash systems,drive-through wash systems, or other types of stationary, variabledemand spray-wash systems. Accordingly, the disclosure herein is notintended as limiting and the appended claims are to be interpreted asencompassing the entire scope of the invention.

While the foregoing describes various embodiments of the presentdisclosure, other and further embodiments of the present disclosure maybe devised without departing from the basic scope thereof. The scope ofthe invention is determined by the claims that follow. The presentdisclosure is not limited to the described embodiments, versions orexamples, which are included to enable a person having ordinary skill inthe art to make and use the present disclosure when combined withinformation and knowledge available to the person having ordinary skillin the art.

All of the material in this patent document is subject to copyrightprotection under the copyright laws of the United States and othercountries. The copyright owner has no objection to the facsimilereproduction by anyone of the patent document or the patent disclosure,as it appears in official governmental records but, otherwise, all othercopyright rights whatsoever are reserved.

That which is claimed:
 1. A device for delivery of chemicals, consistingof a cloud database, a power source, a smart dispenser, and an internetconnection, where the smart dispenser consists of a monitoring system, adelivery system and a carwash controller, where the smart dispenserconsists of a manifold, a water bullet valve, a chemical bullet valve,an air stepper valve and a volumetric pump, where the carwash controllersends a signal to the smart dispenser, where the signal comprises aplurality of wash figures relating to a chemical signal, a wash packagesignal, and a wash counter signal, where the smart dispenser analyzesthe chemical signal, the wash package signal and the wash countersignal, and sends a cloud database signal to the cloud database, andcreates a plurality of valve controls for the water bullet valve, thechemical bullet valve and the air stepper valve, where the manifolddistributes a quantify of water from the water bullet value, a quantityof chemical from the chemical bullet valve, and a quantity of air fromthe air stepper valve into a quantity of car wash liquid, where thequantity of car wash liquid is directed onto a car at a carwash.
 2. Thedevice of claim 1, where the device relates to the cleaning of aplurality of cars in a car wash, where the device additionally comprisesa plurality of monitoring probes, where each of the plurality ofmonitoring probes measures a tank level for each of a plurality ofchemical boxes, where the tank levels are transmitted to the cloud, andwhere the smart dispenser receives the tank levels from the cloud, andwhere the smart dispenser estimates a number of car washes remaining fora particular chemical that is uses for a particularly type of car wash.3. The device of claim 2, where the number of car washes is used tocreate a purchasing estimate for each of the particular chemicals, whichgives the car wash owner a realistic estimate on when he/she should beplacing one or more orders for one or more additional containers of eachparticular chemical.
 4. The device of claim 3, where the air stepperregulates air pressure and flow between 3 and 60 psi.
 5. The device ofclaim 4, where the chemical bullet valve requires a constant chemicalpressure when in operation of between 10 and 50 psi.
 6. The device ofclaim 5, where the chemical bullet valve needs the chemical pressurizedbetween 30 and 40 psi.
 7. A device for delivery of chemicals, comprisinga cloud database, a power source, a smart dispenser, and an internetconnection, where the smart dispenser comprises a monitoring system, adelivery system and a carwash controller.
 8. The device of claim 7,where the smart dispenser additionally comprises a manifold, a waterbullet valve, a chemical bullet valve, an air stepper valve and avolumetric pump, where the carwash controller sends a signal to thesmart dispenser, where the signal comprises a plurality of wash figuresrelating to a chemical signal, a wash package signal, and a wash countersignal, where the smart dispenser analyzes the chemical signal, the washpackage signal and the wash counter signal, and sends a cloud databasesignal to the cloud database, and creates a plurality of valve controlsfor the water bullet valve, the chemical bullet valve and the airstepper valve, where the manifold distributes a quantify of water fromthe water bullet value, a quantity of chemical from the chemical bulletvalve, and a quantity of air from the air stepper valve into a quantityof car wash liquid, where the quantity of car wash liquid is directedonto a car at a carwash.
 9. The device of claim 8, additionallycomprising a plurality of monitoring probes, where each of the pluralityof monitoring probes measures a tank level for each of a plurality ofchemical boxes, where the tank levels are transmitted to the cloud, andwhere the smart dispenser receives that tank levels from the cloud, andwhere the smart dispenser estimates a number of car washes remaining fora particular chemical that is uses for a particularly type of car wash.10. The device of claim 9, where the number of car washes is used tocreate a purchasing estimate for each of the particular chemicals, whichgives the car wash owner a realistic estimate on when he/she should beplacing one or more orders for one or more additional containers of eachparticular chemical.
 11. The device of claim 10, where the air stepperregulates a level of air pressure and where the level of air pressure isa flow between 3 and 60 psi.
 12. The device of claim 11, where thechemical bullet valve requires a constant chemical pressure when inoperation of between 10 and 50 psi.
 13. The device of claim 12, wherethe chemical bullet valve needs the chemical pressurized between 30 and50 psi.
 14. The device of claim 13, where the air stepper regulates airpressure and flow between 3 and 60 psi.
 15. The device of claim 14,where the stepper uses an inlet of 90 to 125 psi.
 16. The device ofclaim 15, where the chemical bullet valve has a constant chemicalpressure when in operation of between 10 and 50 psi.
 17. The device ofclaim 15, where the chemical bullet valve needs the chemical pressurizedbetween 30 and 40 psi.
 18. The device of claim 7, where the smartdispenser analyzes the chemical signal, the wash package signal and thewash counter signal, and sends a cloud database signal to the clouddatabase, and creates a plurality of valve controls for the water bulletvalve, the chemical bullet valve and the air stepper valve, where themanifold distributes a quantify of water from the water bullet value, aquantity of chemical from the chemical bullet valve, and a quantity ofair from the air stepper valve into a quantity of car wash liquid, wherethe quantity of car wash liquid is directed onto a car at a carwash. 19.The device of claim 18, where the monitoring system comprises a carwashcontroller and a smart dispenser, and where the smart dispensercomprises a water bullet valve, a chemical bullet valve, an air steppervalve and a volumetric pump, where the air stepper regulates airpressure and flow between 3 and 60 psi.
 20. The device of claim 19,where the chemical bullet valve requires a constant chemical pressurewhen in operation of between 10 and 50 psi, where the chemical bulletvalve has the chemical pressurize between 30 and 50 psi, where the airstepper regulates the air pressure and the flow between 90 to 125 psi.